


Ceremony

by unwindmyself



Series: curious shapes shift in the dark [86]
Category: True Blood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Coronation, Fix-It, Gen, agency and choices!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-30
Updated: 2015-05-30
Packaged: 2018-04-01 23:19:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4038445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unwindmyself/pseuds/unwindmyself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The coronation and swearing-in, in part as observed by Sookie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ceremony

**Author's Note:**

> Part four, "Love You More."
> 
>  **Original Characters** : Evelyn Winter, seen Mallory Cambridge, Amarie Cambridge, Noël Beringer

“If you’ll all sit,” Nora repeats, clapping her hands together.  Sookie suspects that most of the audience wouldn’t even imagine that two hours ago, Nora had been running around barefoot in her lingerie, such is the effortless quality of her dressing-up.  Her hair is done up in a style that vaguely looks like it’s from a movie about the Revolutionary War, but her dress is achromatic, asymmetrical, and extremely modern.  It’s a very interesting juxtaposition.

Sookie is also observing the strict lines between groups as they take seats like they’ve been asked: she’s sitting next to the computers, so the Bellefleur girls sit by her and their family sits beside them; Emma insists on sitting by Rikki and Danielle, so Luna and Sam join them; Nicole and her people stay together, the unfamiliar vampires stay in their groups (several of them, but they’re all undoubtedly vampires, given the very familiar way their eyes widen when they pass any of the fairies), etcetera.  The only interspecies mingling is Willa’s friend Mallory and her sister Amarie sitting with Noël (Amarie and Noël are even holding hands, seeming very cozy with each other).

And the vampires are lined up along the side of the pseudo-stage, Eric all cleaned up in a tuxedo and each woman in a gown (Nora’s the subtlest, in its way, Pam’s dark and plunging, Tara’s a shimmery halter, Willa’s pink and precious, Jessica’s appropriately royal blue and elegant).  This entire evening may be fabricated, but it’s been fabricated carefully.

“Good evening,” Nora says once everyone has calmed.  “Thank you all for joining us tonight.”

Lisa starts to applaud and, off Willa’s glance, Braelyn shushes her politely.

“Tonight serves several purposes,” Nora continues.  “This is a coming-together of different groups, a peacemaking in the wake of recent events."

Danielle snorts.

“It also serves as a marker for the beginning of the new Authority,” Nora adds, all ceremony and officiousness.  “With the permission of our incumbent queen, our first order of business tonight is the swearing in of our new public liaison.”

Willa steps forward, smiling nervously, and gives a little wave Braelyn’s direction.

“Did you know about this?” Adilyn whispers.

“Nuh-uh,” Braelyn whispers back.

It’s been Nora’s to reorganize and repurpose Authority traditions, decide which would be utilized in their new organization, but it was no question when she planned that they’d be doing away with the blood oaths.  Little good can come of that.  Instead, she turns to face Willa and touches the hollow of her throat, symbolically echoing the old tradition without any of the danger.  “Willa Christina Burrell, progeny of Eric Northman, late of Baton Rouge,” she says solemnly, “do you wish to serve your kind?”

“I do,” Willa says, resting her hand at her throat similarly.

“And do you swear to do the job before you to the best of your ability?” Nora presses.  “To represent vampires in the public eye and to ensure, as best you can, that they are able to coexist not only with each other and humans but with werewolves, fairies, shifters, and whoever else we may meet?”

“I do.”

Nora smiles.  “Then Willa, I am pleased to declare you spokeswoman, vampire-human liaison, and head of public relations for the new Vampire Authority.”  She lays her hand over Willa’s.

Lisa starts another round of applause, and this time it’s picked up by others.  Willa, before she can think better of it, curtsies as best as her dress will allow.

“As Authority spokeswoman, I invite the prospective chancellors to join me,” she says formally, and Eric steps forward, grabbing Nora’s hand.  A pretty black woman with her hair done up like it’s 1960 and a timeless yellow gown steps out of the audience and onto the stage as well.

“What’s going on, Mommy?” Emma asks softly.  “What’s a chancellor?”

“It’s politics,” Luna whispers.  “They’re in charge.”

“Like the men who kidnapped me?” Emma presses.  “They were in charge of things.”

“No,” Luna says.  “These vampires are our friends.  They’re not like those horrible…”  She trails off, shaking her head, and instead of finishing her thought she takes Emma’s hand.

“These three are to serve as the first chancellors of the new Authority,” Willa explains.  “With the permission of the incumbent queen, we will now see them sworn in.”

Jessica nods her permission, smiling softly.

“Eleanor Beatrix Gainesborough, progeny of Godric, late of Esher,” Willa declares, nodding at her aunt before looking at the others. “Eric Northman, progeny of Godric, late of Helsingborg.  Evelyn Philomena Winter, progeny of Lydia Falwell, late of Atlanta. Do you wish to serve your kind?”

“I do,” Nora, Eric, and Evelyn intone.

“And do you swear to do the job before you to the best of your ability?” Willa asks.  “To oversee the vampire government and ensure that they are able to coexist not only with each other and humans but with werewolves, fairies, shifters, and whoever else we may meet?”

“I do.”

“Then Nora, Eric, Evelyn, I am pleased to declare you chancellors of the new Vampire Authority,” Willa says, brushing her hand over each of theirs in turn.

This time, the applause is started by a Japanese woman in the audience, one of the vampires that Sookie didn’t recognize although not one of Evelyn’s entourage.  Sookie herself joins in, but before it dies down entirely she turns her attention to the laptop and covertly calls up her brother.

“And now,” Eric says grandly, motioning Jessica forward.  “Jessica Chloe Hamby, progeny of William Compton, late of Shreveport. Do you wish to serve your kind?”

“I do,” Jessica says, sounding altogether timid.

“And do you swear to do the job before you to the best of your ability?” Evelyn asks.

“To rule over the vampires of Louisiana and help to mediate their concerns, to ensure that they are able to coexist not only with each other and humans but with werewolves, fairies, shifters, and whoever else we may meet?” Nora adds, eyes wide.

“I do.”

“Then Jessica, I am so pleased to declare you queen of Louisiana,” Nora says, reaching for both of Jessica’s hands in a gesture that’s entirely personal, not scripted, then nodding toward the screen so Jessica sees Jason grinning and waving at her.

“I still think we should’ve got a tiara,” Willa whispers to Tara as the applause crests once more.


End file.
